After having discussed extrinsic and intrinsic motives in class this past week, I decided to look into some different methods of grading. I came across the pass/fail system. This idea focuses on in depth learning with a lesser emphasis on the grade. When a student performs satisfactory they pass the class. This puts less pressure on the student because whether they recieve a B+ or an A-, they still pass. This way students don't have to stress about the small differentiations in grades. On the other hand, if they are not up to par, and perform unsatisfactory, they fail. This intrinsic method of teaching allows students to become active in a class because they want to further their own knowledge. This can help cancel out the extrinsic desires to better their own transcipts.
Pass/fail classes have become extremely popular in college curriculums. Colleges such as Yale and Stanford have already begun the pass/fail grading system specifically in their law programs. Their system readies students for the world outside of college. These schools have found great success in their programs, and because of that more schools have decided to follow suit . A new outlook to learning helps the students focus on the class itself rather than their semester report cards. Harvard will also begin to offer pass/fail classes in 2009. The dean of Harvard, Elena Kagan believes that the new system will "promote pedagogical excellence and innovation and further strengthen the intellectual community."
All in all, I think it is a great idea to expand a students outlook on school. They can take classes that allow them to recieve an extraordinary education without as much pressure on the grade. The classes aren't as much about the grade, but more so about what the student gets out of it.
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